Morgan Hill – In their first league game of the season Tuesday,
the Sobrato field hockey team beat the University High School Red
Devils, of San Francisco, by penalty strokes in double
overtime.
Morgan Hill – In their first league game of the season Tuesday, the Sobrato field hockey team beat the University High School Red Devils, of San Francisco, by penalty strokes in double overtime.
With possession going back and forth between the Bulldogs and Red Devils throughout regulation, the game went into overtime tied 0-0.
In high school field hockey, if the score is tied after regulation time has expired, a seven minute overtime period is played with each team reducing the number of players to seven per side.
Late in the overtime period Sobrato had two short corner opportunities, due to obstruction and high stick penalties on University, but the Red Devil defense prevented the Bulldogs from scoring.
With the score still tied at the end of overtime, the teams went to penalty strokes to determine the winner.
In penalty stroke competition, each team selects five players to take alternating penalty strokes against the opposing goalkeeper.
Sobrato’s senior goalie Casey Post easily blocked University’s first attempt, but junior Sarina Santiago’s ensuing shot for Sobrato was also blocked by the University goalie.
Post came back into the goal and blocked University’s second shot, and then Sobrato’s Lindsey vanKeulen knocked in the first goal of the game to give Sobrato a 1-0 lead.
On University’s third attempt Post again blocked the shot, setting up senior Megan Rotter for the game winning goal.
Eying the same upper-left section of the goal as vanKuelen did on Sobrato’s previous shot, Rotter knocked the ball past the University goalie to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Needing a goal to stay alive the Red Devils’ senior Mollie Clifford stepped up and shot one past Post on University’s fourth attempt, shortening Sobrato’s lead 2-1.
Senior Elizabeth Gordon shot but missed the Bulldogs’ fourth attempt giving the Red Devils an opportunity to tie the game on their fifth and final attempt.
Senior Kristine Morris took a low-right shot for University which Post stepped over and blocked, securing the victory for Sobrato.
The whole team, including head coach Nikki Donaldson, rushed the goal and jumped on Post, tackling her to the ground in celebration of her solid goalie play and the win.
If University tied Sobrato in the second overtime, Post said the two goalies would have had to race from the goal to the 50-yard line and back, in all their goalie gear, to decide the winner.
Post said she was happy with the victory, but thought Sobrato did not utilize their opportunities.
“We could have stepped it up (during regulation) because we had chances to score,” Post said. “But at the end of the seven on seven is when we really stepped up.”
